Obama closes curtain on transparency
By: Timothy P. Carney
Examiner Columnist
August 12, 2010
President Obama has abolished the position in his White House dedicated to transparency and shunted those duties into the portfolio of a partisan ex-lobbyist who is openly antagonistic to the notion of disclosure by government and politicians.
Obama transferred "ethics czar" Norm Eisen to the Czech Republic to serve as U.S. ambassador. Some of Eisen's duties will be handed to Domestic Policy Council member Steven Croley, but most of them, it appears, will shift over to the already-full docket of White House Counsel Bob Bauer.
Bauer is renowned as a "lawyer's lawyer" and a legal expert. His resume, however, reads more "partisan advocate" than "good-government crusader." Bauer came to the White House from the law firm Perkins Coie, where he represented John Kerry in 2004 and Obama during his campaign.
Bauer has served as the top lawyer for the Democratic National Committee, which is the most prolific fundraising en y in the country. Then-Rep. Rahm Emanuel, D-Ill., the caricature of a cutthroat Chicago political fixer, hired Bauer to represent the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. In the White House, Bauer is tight with Emanuel, having defended Emanuel's offer of a job to Rep. Joe Sestak, D-Pa., whom Emanuel wanted out of the Senate race.
Another Bauer client was New Jersey Sen. Robert "Torch" Torricelli back in 2001. When one Torricelli donor admitted he had reimbursed employees for their contributions to the Torch -- thus cir venting contribution limits -- Bauer explained, "All candidates ask their supporters to help raise money from friends, family members and professional associates."
Bauer's own words -- gathered by the diligent folks at the Sunlight Foundation -- show disdain for openness and far greater belief in the good intentions of those in power than of those trying to check the powerful. In December 2006, when the Federal Election Commission proposed more precise disclosure requirements for parties, Bauer took aim at the practice of muckraking enabled by such disclosure.
On his blog, Bauer derided the notion "that politicians and parties are pictured as forever trying to get away with something," saying this was an idea for which "there is a market, its product cheaply manufactured and cheaply sold." In other words -- we keep too close an eye on our leaders.
In August 2006 Bauer blogged, "disclosure is a mostly unquestioned virtue deserving to be questioned." This is the man the White House has put in charge of making this the most open White House ever.
Most telling might have been Bauer's statements about proposed regulations of 527 organizations: "If it's not done with 527 activity as we have seen, it will be done in other ways," he told the Senate rules committee.
"There are other directions, to be sure, that people are actively considering as we speak. Without tipping my hand or those of others who are professionally creative, the money will find an outlet."
This perfectly captures the Obama White House's at ude toward disclosure. Sure, the administration publish the names of all White House visitors, but, as the New York Times reported a few weeks back, White House folks just meet their lobbyists at Caribou Coffee across the street. Sure, they restrict the work of ex-lobbyists in the administration, but lobbyists who de-list aren't questioned.
And we've seen just a few of the e-mails former Google lobbyist, now Obama tech policy guru, Andrew McLaughlin traded with current Google lobbyists using his Gmail account, but who knows what else the White House whiz kids are doing to avoid the Presidential Records Act -- Facebook messages? Twitter direct messages?
Did I mention Bauer was a lobbyist? At Perkins Coie, Bauer lobbied on behalf of America Votes Inc., a Democratic 527 funded by the likes of the AFL-CIO and ACORN.
The Sunlight Foundation is also concerned about the fact the White House no longer has anyone whose job is transparency, as Eisen's job was. John Wonderlich, at SunglightFoundation.com, lists a few transparency promises on which the president hasn't followed through, including earmark transparency, a single Web site (Ethics.gov) with all ethics and accountability information, and better lobbying disclosure, among others.
As with his other reformer rhetoric, Obama's transparency is mostly smoke and mirrors.
Timothy P. Carney is The Washington Examiner's lobbying editor. His K Street column appears on Wednesdays. Click here to follow him on Facebook
SnC, your posts offend me.
I'm not racist. I swear.
And it's not that I give a about defending the liberals here. Just that you post as if this is February of 2009, and people are still naive about his penchant for not delivering on what he says.
100 percent of liberals.. i take that back, George Gervin's Asshole is the exception, know that Obama is just another politician and not anything like he delivered.
You're wasting your time here. Infact, if I was a liberal i'd be pissed at the tone deafness and out of touch responses you provide because all this is proof that you don't listen to your opponents and is a close minded fool.
Do us all a favor and post less. I think Darrin is the happiest poster around because of your prescence, you're his missippi to his alabama.
Atleast Wild Cobra just sticks to making tone deaf posts, and not starting tone deaf threads.
I think you are giving the obamabots too much credit. Also you show alot of emotion for a 2 dimensional android. I don't understand what your complaint has a connection to me being closed minded comes from. I have adjusted my views alot in the two years I have posted here. Is this like your stupid games you guys play where you are posting someone elses response?
I think you show far less talent for a muti talented German/American pop singing and acting sensation.
I'm not the hoff troll. I could never try to be something so great & legendary.
Are you two done sucking each other off yet?
How can he close something that was never opened?Obama closes curtain on transparency
If me scoffing SnC is sucking each other off, i don't want to contemplate your interactions with Chumpdumper.Are you two done sucking each other off yet?
Sun don't shine
The Moon don't move
The tides to wash me clean
Why so unforgiving
And why so cold
Spent a long time crossing
The bridge of sighs
Cold wind blows
And the gods look down
In anger of this poor child
Why so unforgiving
And why so cold
Been a long time crossing
The bridge of sighs
you made an incoherent observation at my post history. Since that wasn't the topic at hand, you did a chump style troll at going after the op personally. you either completely gave up on your whole troll job or went off character for a while.
Well put.
You know what...
I thing he locked it for good...
so many videos of that black man.
someone has a crush.
With reference to the banner only, and without having read even the first thing in this thread: Sen. Obama declared his intentions the moment he voted, as a US senator in 2008, to immunize the telecoms which participated in the US government's clearly illegal surveillance scheme.
If it wasn't, what need was there at all to immunize it?
Obama swore the opposite earlier on. Said he was against it.
I noticed when he wasn't anymore. It was well before he was elected.
I think that's a mixed metaphor WC.
For me this is one of the most disappointing broken promises.
Then I think the magic phrase "Vice-President Pailin" and the pain goes away.
lol ppl beleiving a politician
There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote
